Spread … the wealth of scoring

Spread … the wealth of scoring

1of2Lee quarterback Kyle Fuller looks to throw during the first half of their District 26-6A game with Johnson at Comalander Stadium on Sept. 24, 2015.Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

2of2Roosevelt’s Bryson Carroll thows a pass during the second half of their District 26-6A game with Churchill at Comalander Stadium on Oct. 24, 2015.Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

Here’s advice for anyone degenerate enough to bet on the final score of a Texas high school football game:

Always take the over.

Always.

Employing basic concepts of geometry and gridiron Feng Shui, offenses in the state are scoring at an unprecedented clip. The trend is upward — and there’s no end in sight.

Last season, for example, Roosevelt and Lee combined for 148 points in an 83-65 Rough Riderswin.

Pretty good, right? Entering this season, that was the fifth highest aggregate score in state high school football history.

Until the third week of the season, that is.

That’s when Andrews outlasted Levelland 77-76 in overtime. That game pushed Lee-Roosevelt to No. 6 in the combined-score rankings.

Of the highest scoring games, the top two combined scores of all-time belong to a pair of East Texas schools.

Two years ago, Jacksonville beat Nacogdoches 85-79 in five overtimes, combining for 164 points.

Good, but not good enough for the top spot.

In 2010, Friday Night Lights became Saturday Morning Coming Down as Jacksonville beat Nacogdoches 85-81 (166 points) in a game that needed 12 overtimes (not a typo) and six hours to settle.

Attending Texas high school football is revered as a community institution, but a six-hour game? That’s more like community service.

For years, I believed summer 7-on-7 tournaments were behind this fundamental change in the game. To a certain extent, I was right.

“Last season, there were 25 single-game performances for passing yards that showed in the top 150 of all time. We’re talking over 100 years of football data,” said Chris Doelle, a high school football guru whose website, LoneStarGridiron.com, compiles game stats.

The trend is continuing this season.

Halfway through, seven quarterbacks have cracked the top 150 for single-game passing yardage.

A lot of those passes are touchdowns. Jake Smith of Tyler Bishop Gorman threw 10 TD passes in a 91-71 win over Ore City on Sept. 9, a total that put him in a tie for most passing TDs in a game. His 693 yards also qualified for third all-time in single-game passing yardage.

The goal of the spread offense, Doelle said, is to take advantage of all of the real estate between the sidelines.

“The real reason the spread works is because there are so many people in motion,” Doelle said. “That makes it a game of matchups. It’s not a series of plays anymore.”

Nor is it strictly about passing, either. In today’s high school game, even run-based offenses can stack up touchdowns.

“‘Spread’ is kind of misleading,” Doelle said. “People think it’s only about a wide-open passing game. But the spread also allows teams to do a lot more angle blocking.”

This is where geometry comes in to play. Given more room in which to work, blockers can manipulate would-be tacklers easier. Rushers end up with wider running lanes.

When two spread offenses meet, both defenses surrender tons of yardage — and tire quickly.

The best defense against the up-tempo spread might be a slower, run-based attack.

The case, as stated by Southside coach Ricky Lock, is that a run-based attack will shorten the game and allow a winded defense to rest longer. As a bonus, many modern high school defenses aren’t used to taking the pounding from a run-heavy scheme and will tire just as quickly as defenders chasing a spread offense.

It’s worked intermittently for Lock’s Cardinals, who are 3-2 and have cracked 40 points three times.

Most teams, however, will continue to use the spread. And because of it, scoring and yardage totals will continue to escalate.

“Back when I was in high school, if your team gave up 28 points a game, you were looking for a coach,” Doelle said. “Giving up only 28 points now is considered a good defensive game.”